Tokyo
In a break with its postwar pacifism, Japan this week passed laws granting the Defense Agency full ministerial status and requiring schools to “instill patriotism.” As a result of the school reform, many more Japanese schools will use revisionist textbooks that downplay Japan’s imperial past and portray its past occupation of Asian countries as liberation from Western colonial powers. The books provoked angry demonstrations in China and South Korea when they were introduced a few years ago. The new laws are just the first steps in what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calls a campaign to “restore national pride.” Next, he wants to amend the nation’s constitution, written by the U.S. after World War II, to allow Japan to deploy combat troops overseas.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The WaterboysFeature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
-
Are bonds worth investing in?the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
